Focus Tower fire
The Focus Tower fire was a fire on Friday 13 April 2012 that destroyed the 32-story apartment skyscraper the Focus Tower in Downtown Leeds, Leeds, killing 4 firefighters and injuring more than 70 firefighters and residents. Fire The fire began at 0356 BST on 13 April 2012 at around the third floor, and rapidly spread upwards through the building. The skyscraper's fire alarms sounded at 0403 BST and the anti-fire sprinklers came on at 0409 BST, but the fire crippled their control command centre and they automatically switched off after losing connection with it at 0420 BST. It was reported that all of the residents, who were sleeping at the time of the start of the blaze, were evacuated within twenty minutes of the alarms sounding. However, at least 50 residents were taken to hospital after evacuation suffering from smoke inhalation, as the small enclosed stairwells of the tower that residents had to use to evacuate had become clogged thick with smoke. However, no residents were killed and none suffered from any burns whatsoever. The police and ambulance service arrived at 0415 BST to assist with the evacuation and treatment of victims, although the fire brigade weren't in attendance until 0440 BST after being delayed. Firefighters entered the building at 0500 BST in an attempt to control the fire, which was now ripping through all of the bottom ten floors of the building and flames were visible from the outside of the building. However, in the ensuing drama, four firefighters were killed and twenty were injured, all due to smoke inhalation, and the fire brigade withdrew from the inside of the building at 0515 BST. Meanwhile, at around the time of the withdrawal, the police set up checkpoints on all roads leading into Downtown Leeds, evacuating the suburb and preventing all but emergency services from entering. The police cited the reason as to "help the emergency services use as much space as they need" and the "danger of smoke inhalation on the streets between the tall buildings as smoke is funneled down them from the fire and can't escape". By 0700, the fire was raging through all 32 floors. It was around this time that especially large-hosed fire appliances arrived, to assist the conventional fire engines and fire hoses from the fire hydrants in the street. These especially large appliances are usually used for fighting wildfires, but proved ideal for reaching very far up the building to help stop the fire. However, even these couldn't reach the top ten or so floors. At around 0800 much of the fire flashed over and became more intense. However, as a consequence of the flash-over, much of the very little remaining oxygen in the building was used up, and from that point onwards the fire began slowly dying down due to lack of oxygen to feed it. By around 0900, the fire was out on the bottom five floors. However, the intense fire at the top, which had so far had no effort put in to stop it due to it's inaccessibility, resulted in the top eight floors of the buildings collapsing on on themselves. Most of the debris landed inside the building, but some rained down onto the street below, and as a result the emergency services had to retreat for around fifteen minutes before being allowed to re-enter the area around the tower. By 1000 the bottom fifteen floors had been declared extinguished. However, a smouldering piece of wood reignited a fire on the eighth floor at around 1030 and this fire burned through the eighth and ninth floors before being once again extinguished at around 1100. At 1100, the bottom twenty floors had had their fire extinguished, and almost all of the remaining fire was under control. However the remaining floors were unreachable and by 1200, very little progress had been made. Eventually weather turned on the fire brigade's side, with light rain showers at around 1300 extinguishing the fire on all but the top three floors. These showers then stopped, however, and again very little progress was made. The top three floors continued to burn, unstoppably, until just after 1500 when a brief but powerful thunderstorm rolled in from the south and rapidly extinguished the fire in the final three floors. The thunderstorm passed after just five minutes, and the fire brigade declared the fire extinguished, although they continued hosing the building until 15 April to "damp it down", as it was still smouldering and, until the smouldering was stopped, the fire had a chance of re-starting. It did briefly restart in the fourth floor at around 1900 on 14 April, but it was put out within five minutes. As a result of damping down operations the smouldering was stopped at around 1600 on 15 April, and the fire brigade and ambulance services withdrew from the scene, leaving the police and survey crews in charge of the site. There were plans to use wildfirefighting helicopters to drop water on the top of the burning tower if the fire hadn't been put out by 1700, but these were not needed. Aftermath At 1700 BST on 13 April 2012, all of Downtown Leeds was re-opened to the public except the roads immediately surrounding the Focus Tower - namely Focus Street, Crystal Road, Yuyao Way, and Central Street. Civilians placed flowers in remembrance to the four firefighters killed fighting the blaze on railings as close to the building as they were allowed. Some people wrote personal messages, including one that said "The Four Heroes - we will never forget you, losing your lives to save others". (However, in actual fact, everyone had evacuated the building themselves without any emergency help more than half an hour before the fire brigade even arrived). The Red Cross set up a shelter for those who lost their homes in the fire, located inside a building just down the road from the Presidential Palace. As a result, President George visited the shelter and talked to victims on 15 April. On 15 April survey teams confirmed many people's worst fears - the tower would have to be torn down. The Focus Tower was demolished on 1 May via the controlled explosion method. The remaining rubble was cleared away and the site was cleared by 2 May. Construction of the Focus Tower's replacement, the Titanium Tower, began on 3 May. Former residents of the Focus Tower will be getting a free apartment of the same size (although more modern and more luxury) in the Crystal Tower before the remaining apartments go on sale to the general public. Investigation and cause An investigation into the cause of the fire was launched on 16 April. The report was released on 31 May. It suggested a television which had been left on overnight in a lower floor apartment as the cause of the blaze. The old television overheated, setting fire to nearby curtains, and then the fire rapidly spread up the tower. Gallery Focus Tower fire3.jpg|The Focus Tower burning at some time just before 0700 BST on 13 April. Focus Tower fire2.jpg|The collapsed section at the top of the tower after the fire was extinguished (although it is still smouldering). 15 April Focus Tower fire.jpg|Firefighters hose down the still-smouldering tower on 14 April after the fire was put out. See also *Clarence Hotel disaster